Local leaders say King's 'Dream' not yet a reality

Brendien Mitchell Jr. recites the “I Have a Dream” speech during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 27th annual Commemorative Celebration Ecumenical Service held at the First Assembly of God in Ocala in 2012. Mitchell began delivering dramatic public recitals of King’s speech at age 10.

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By Harriet DanielsCorrespondent

Published: Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 9:13 p.m.

On the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther’s King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, area leaders in the fields of law, education, economic opportunity and race relations offered their observations about King’s hope for America.

As you might expect, they take solace in the nation’s efforts to address racial injustice and intolerance, efforts that have done much to bring about racial parity in the workplace, in politics, in courthouses and in social circles. But they also find that, in many ways, the promise of King’s dream has yet to be fulfilled.

Here’s what they had to say.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” — Martin Luther King Jr., on prejudice

Brendien Mitchell Jr. looks at the bitter vitriol directed at President Barack Obama and the racial divisions revealed by the Trayvon Martin slaying, and concludes that the country as a whole still judges people by the color of their skin.

“We are far from a dream fulfilled,” he said. “At the end of the day, we can continue to work against this, but changing the state of mind of people is a more difficult task.”

Mitchell, who this week starts his sophomore year at Howard University in Washington, D.C., began delivering dramatic public recitals of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at age 10. Mitchell is currently president of the Florida State Conference NAACP Youth & College Division and will participate in upcoming events to mark the anniversary of the march.

He said justice is at the root of King’s dream and hopes this week will serve to reignite the nation’s passion for that goal.

Loretta Pompey Jenkins, president of the Marion County Branch of the NAACP, says there are still instances of people judged solely by color, “even now in the 21st century.”

“It’s evident by some of the discriminatory cases before the NAACP and the things people endure,” Jenkins said. “As a nation we have not overcome.”

And while a number of organizations have stepped forward to help bring King’s dream to fruition, Jenkins said she is hopeful but unsure it will ever happen unless people work to eradicate old prejudices and achieve harmony.

“I have a dream that one day ... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.” — King, on brotherhood

For Marion County School Board member Bobby James, although schools are desegregated as King envisioned somewhat, work still needs to be done on a deeper level, not just superficially.

He said while students of different races are in the same building, they often are not interacting in the same upper-level courses or do not sit together in the cafeteria.

“We see them on the athletic field but not always academically,” James said. “No, it’s not as bad as it was in 1963, but we still have more work to do. We need to really come together and have a true dialogue about this.”

James said public education is the greatest equalizer in this country, but as people begin to erode public education by pulling their children out of public schools, the barriers begin to rise again.

“It’s the Achilles heel of America because we pretend a lot,” he said. “It’s gotten better but we still have work to do.”

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” — King, on justice

Judge Sandra Edwards-Stephens said America is not yet an oasis of freedom and justice, but adds, “It’s a work in progress.”

She said while the nation has made tremendous strides toward King’s dream, it has had setbacks along the way.

She said it’s about continuing to go forward after a setback, learn from it and then grow from it.

“I believe Dr. King would be proud of the progress we’ve made, but he would see that we’ve not completely met the goal of being an oasis of freedom and justice,” she said.

To better illustrate her point, Stephens mentions a line from King’s “Letter from Birmingham,” where he writes: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“That is still a truth today,” she said.

“I have a dream that one day … the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.” — King, on setting aside divisions

June Dailey, a board member of Governor’s West Neighborhood Revitalization Council representing the Ocala Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., said King’s dream of economic opportunity has yet to be realized.

“When I look around and compare where others (are) economically, I find that African-Americans still lag in many areas,” she said. “It’s not as vibrant economically as the dream would have us be at this point.”

Dailey points to the lack of cooperation between local, state and federal agencies responsible for responding to and addressing the needs of the community.

However, Dailey said residents of the community also must express their needs and be involved.

“We often rely too heavily on others to do what we can do ourselves,” she said. “When it comes to economic opportunities, education and other areas, if we played a greater role, we would see a greater difference.”

Dailey encouraged residents in areas like west Ocala to be involved in the planning process from the onset, to have a say in what should or should not be developed in the community.

She said while there has been some economic growth in west Ocala, it does not mirror the amount of growth in other parts of the region. She said by being a part of the process the community will see growth a little sooner and better realize King’s dream.

Rusty Skinner, CEO of Workforce Connection, believes that while economic opportunities exist, they are not achieved equally. He said it’s hard to say whether race is the sole reason, but points to a larger issue of educational attainment.

“We must focus on educational achievement. If not, the disparity of economic opportunity will continue,” Skinner said.

Kevin Sheilley, CEO of the Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, believes there have been tremendous strides made toward equalizing economic opportunities for all. He said it does not surprise anyone to see a minority in leadership roles of a large or mid-sized company.

“But the challenge today is not if it happens but how often it happens,” Sheilley said. “It’s about making sure we see it across the board.”

Sheilley said while phenomenal progress has been achieved since 1963, it must continue.

“As Dr. King spoke, he was addressing blacks and whites, but today we have Latinos, Asians and others ... how do we have those conversations?”

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